how to dry a bouquet

The bouquets for my sister's wedding were gorgeous. The flowers were exactly what she wanted, and after the weekend, I took her bouquet home to preserve it for her while she got ready to jet off to the honeymoon.

I used a crochet needle and yarn to string up the bouquet and hang it upside down on a hanger. It's important to hang it upside down so that the flowers keep their shape. Then into a dark, dry closet it went for two weeks to dry.

Mold or mildew may start to grow on some of the flowers, and you can easily kill this with white vinegar. It's amazing stuff. I put some white vinegar into a spray bottle to easily get to the spots I needed to.

Two weeks later...

With the flowers dried, I took them outside and used a Krylon clear spray to seal them. It's tough to get into the stems, but do it as best you can. Coat all of the leaves and flowers (and berries), and then let dry for about an hour.

I tested everything first on my bridesmaid bouquet before doing her bridal bouquet. My bridesmaid bouquet is definitely not as pretty dried as it was on the wedding day, but it is now dried and preserved. Once you've dried your bouquet, the best place for it to go is into a tissue-lined box so that nothing snaps off.

wedding Wednesday: my sister got married!

This past weekend was my older sister's wedding, and it was an incredible, perfect event. I don't have a lot of pictures, since I was kind of busy being in the wedding, but the incredible Mary was the photographer. I'm sure she will have some really great photos of the whole weekend!

Here I am with my co-maid of honor before the ceremony... I'm really not short, I swear.

The setting was gorgeous. This property in on the North Shore of Boston.

The garden where the ceremony was held was incredible.

The wedding had the perfect amount of handmade elements, like these chalkboard signs my younger sister (pictured above) crafted.

It was such a great weekend, and I was so sad on Monday that it was over! But I'm taking that as a good thing - fabulous people, gorgeous day, and one really great party.

wedding Wednesday: this week's wedding frenzy

If you know me personally, you know that this weekend my big sister is getting married! And that means my free time this week has been filled in with various (co)maid of honor duties. This weekend I tied more bows than I have ever tied in such a short period of time - because, you know, a welcome bag isn't a welcome bag unless there's a bow tied to it.

I'm so looking forward to this weekend. I got a preview of my sister in her wedding attire at her last fitting last week, and I'm so, so excited for her fiance to see her, for the food, for the dancing, and for all of the love that will be surrounding everyone there.

I'll be posting on Instagram throughout the weekend, so follow me there!

wedding Wednesday: Brittany Fuson stationery

If you aren't familiar with Brittany Fuson, you should check out her work. The two cards here are ones I purchased for two of my besties getting married. I loved that they resemble the ladies in my life.

Brittany also does custom illustrations, which would be a really cute way to ask your girls to be in your wedding or would make a unique wedding gift. nudge nudge.

wedding Wednesday: Cape Cod wedding recap

If you follow on Instagram, you're very well aware that I was at the Cape all weekend for the wedding of one of my dearest friends. T and I then extended our trip a couple of days to spend some time with my family, so we are just getting back to work for a couple of days - before I have to head back to Cape Cod for my sister's bachelorette party! It's busy, but I don't hate it.

And now, some (a lot of) photos from this weekend's wedding.

the view from the back of the chapel 

such a cute chapel right on the water

morning getting-ready snacks 

a very busy kitchen (with our print outs of updo inspiration)

bouquet arrival! love the bride's bouquet against her floral robe

 bridesmaid bouquets

this is what happens when one of your bridesmaids happens to be a professional photographer

mid-ceremony excitement (p.s. can I have a hair and makeup artist everyday?)

besties since high school and here we are over 10 years later

 reception right on the water

best friends for 19 years! what a gorgeous bride

love, love, love these two 

my handsome date

What a whirlwind of a weekend - and my sister's wedding is now only 1 month away!

back from my bridesmaid duties

One of my dearest friends who I have known for almost 2 decades (that's frightening but amazing at the same time) got married this weekend, and we are finally back from an extra couple of days away. Get ready for a big wedding recap photo post tomorrow!

bachelorette party apparel

My best friend's bachelorette party is this weekend, and I'm having trouble deciding what to wear. I have a few options I'm considering, including 2 dresses with back detail, which I am loving lately, as well as one fun floral shift. Then there's the sequin skirt I wore in this post, which transitions easily into summer with a simple white tank.

Asos orange dress (1), Susana Monaco pink dress via ideeli (2), Grace floral shift via ideeli (3)

Normally I'd grab an LBD and some fabulous shoes and call it a night, but mid-July calls for something brighter. What is your go-to bachelorette party outfit?

it's not a party until someone ends up in a cone

Is it just me or do the weekends go by faster when the weather is nice? 

What a whirlwind of a weekend! One of my closest friends asked me to be in her wedding next summer (I obviously said yes) and Sprout's birthday party/adoption party was so good that one of his friends ended up in a cone. The barnyard theme was complete with bales of hay in the backyard. I didn't get a good photo of the 4 little ones together, but here's Petunia the Pug, Rowdy (Sprout's bffl), and the birthday boy himself. Not pictured is little Morkie, who was off at the vet during this photo op.

I'm so looking forward to the rest of the summer weekends - hoping they don't go by as fast as this one did!

outdoor entertaining must-haves

Every time I host a gathering, I recognize that I am missing one or two or 10 things that I don't need in everyday life but are essential to a great party. And this weekend's bridal shower taught me a few more items I should add to my list.

1. A drink dispenser
Originally, we had bottles of raspberry lemonade sitting in the boat bucket until we decided to use this little dispenser. Super easy to use and not bad on the eyes - I need to add one of these to my outdoor entertaining suite. I've seen some cute ones before, but this one at Target is a steal. This duo is perfect to have lemonade and iced tea side by side.

2. Boat o' drinks
This fab find is from Homegoods and, into the afternoon, also held vodka, rum, and other goodies. The boat base was perfect for the nautical-themed shower. Now I'm on the hunt for a metal bucket for my summer parties... maybe something like this one?

3. Plastic "glasses"
Classier than the tried-and-true Solo cup, and ones that you don't have to worry about your friends breaking, plastic ware is always great to have on hand for a more formal event. Or you could go all out and purchase acrylic wine glasses. (But then you'd have to wash those instead of just throwing them away, which takes away part of the fun of plastic!)

sequin-free New Year's Eve

If you're looking for a glittery New Year's Eve dress, there are so many options available. But if you did the sequin dress thing last year and want to go a different route this year? 

Pair a taffeta mermaid skirt (perfect re-use if you already have one from your closet of bridesmaid dresses!) with an unexpected white tee and statement necklace. Of course, slip on some glitter pumps for a hint of sparkle underneath.

White out! A body-hugging white dress with sleeves (1, 2), gold baubles (bracelet, earrings), and gold pumps will definitely be a crowd stand-out.

We are doing a fairly laid-back New Year's Eve this year, but if we were going somewhere snazzy, this is what I would choose for the night: a mesh-and-mirrors shift dress. How fun!

dress via

bridesmaids dresses you'll wear again

a) How many times has a bride said to her bridesmaids, "And you can wear it again!"? 

b) And how many of those dresses have seen the light of day after the reception is over?

Answers: a) too many b) very few

Colorblock // Black lace with sash // Black lace // Gray chiffon

Two of the JLM Couture brands, Noir by Lazaro and Jim Hjelm Occasions, have dresses available that you might actually take out of your closet again. I love the colorblocking, lace detail, and less traditional styles. They stay away from taffeta, lime green, chocolate brown, ribbon sashes, and other typical bridesmaidsy characteristics.

If you don't care so much about what your girls do with their dress after the event, or if you're paying for the dresses (and aren't expecting them to shell out hundreds of dollars for a one-time-wear gown), by all means choose a pastel, bubble hem, or spaghetti straps.

But if you 100% want your girls to be able to wear their dresses again, pick a short or long black, gray, navy, or other neutral in a cotton, cotton-silk, chiffon, or other light fabric. (J Crew has some versatile options on the more simple side.) Taffeta and heavy polyester do not lend themselves well to versatility - even from the aisle to another event.

And if JLM Couture is out of your budget, find budget-conscious options at David's Bridal or your local boutique shops.